Mail-pouch hook



(No Model.)

G. A. WHITEHEAD.

MAIL POUCH HOOK.

No. 580,917. Patented Apr. 20, 189 7.

WI TJV ESW wi m U TTnn STATES PATENT FFTQE.

. GEORGE A. WHITEI-IEAD, OF FRIENDSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-POUCH HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,917, dated April 20, 1897.

Application filed October 26, 1896. Serial No. 610,042. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. WHITEHEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Friendsville, in the county of Susquehanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Pouch Hooks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in clamps, and has more particular relation to clamps employed for holding mail-sacks in position to be grasped by the arm of a postal car while the car is moving.

The invention consists of the combination, with a spring-supporting loop provided with two clamping-1n gs, of means for adjusting the tension of said loop at will.

The invention also consists of certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, all of which will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the clamp embodying myinvention, a portion of the supporting-arm being shown as well as a portion of the mailsack. Fig. 2 represents a side .elevation of my improved clamp.

AA in the drawings represent the support ing-arms, arranged at the side of the railway, B my improved clamp, and O the mail-sack. My improved clamp comprises a spring-loop I), having its opposite ends turned down to form lugs Z7 b, the inner faces of said lugs having inclined grooves out therein to form when together a dovetail recess b An ad- 3' Listing-screw b passes through the loop b and is provided at one end with a head If and at the opposite end with screw-heads and a thumb-nut 5 which is adapted to screw upon said threads and engage the said loop, whereby the lugs b may be drawn together more or less, as desired. A supporting-eye b is mounted in the upper portion of the loop I) by means of a nut (2 which screws upon its lower screw-threaded end. A suitable eyebolt 1) is attached to said eye bto secure the same to either one of the arms A A. A guardplate B is secured to one end of the loop I) and projects over the space left between the lugs b b and is adapted to slide loosely upon the opposite end of said loop. The oflice of this plate is to guide the lugs b b evenly together and at the same time to act as a guard to prevent the sack-ring from slipping up into the loop by any accident, thus tearing the loop away when the sack is snatched. The usual rings 0 c are provided at the top and bottom of the mail-sack and are adapted to he slipped into the respective dovetail recesses 17 formed between the clamping-lugs b. The pressure of said lugs upon said ring is regulated by the thumb-nut to suit the weight supported by the sack. If the sack is extra heavy, the thumb-nut b would have to be tightened, so as to more firmly clamp the upper ring of the sack into position between the lugs 17.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that when the mail-sack is supported in position by my improved clamps it cannot accidentally slip or become disarranged, and at the same time it is readily detached the minute a hard jerk is given the sack by the pivoted arm upon the postal car. By the employment of my improved clamps the tearing out of the rings and the destruction of the material of the mail-sack and loss of its contents are altogether obviated, as said clamps hold the sack without any liability of its catching while being detached therefrom. By means of the thumb-screw b I am enabled to adjust the tension of the springs to just the desired degree,so that they will firmly hold the sack, but will release it the instant an extra heavy pull is given the same. The tension is always kept sufficient to preventthe detachment of the sack by the blowing of the wind or any blow that it might receive.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-loop having clamping-lugs, of means for adjusting the tension of said loop at will, substantially as described.

2. In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-loop having suspending means and clampinglugs, of a bolt passing through said loop and provided with a thumb-nut whereby said lugs may be adjusted in relation to each other at will, substantially as described.

3. In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-100p, of lugs mounted upon the same and having grooves cut in their sides which form when together a dovetail recess adapted to receive and hold a ring, substantially as described.

4'. In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-loop having lugs mounted thereon and adapted to receive and hold the ring of a mail-sack, of a guard-plate connected to one end of said spring and lapping over the other to prevent the sack-ring from accidentally passing into the loop, substantially as described.

5, In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-clamp provided with lugs hav ing grooved sides which form when together a dovetail recess, of supporting means for said loop, a bolt passing through said loop and a thumb-nut on said bolt for drawing the loop together and adjusting the lugs in relation to each other, substantially as described.

'6. In a mail-sack clamp the combination with a spring-loop, of means for supporting the same, lugs mounted on said loop and having grooved sides which form when together a dovetail recess for the reception of a sackring, and a guard-plate connected to one end of said spring-loop and lapping over the other to prevent the sack-ring from accidentally passing into the loop, and means for adjusting the spring-loop whereby the relative positions of the lugs may be altered at will, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.-

GEORGE A. WVHITEHEAD.

IVitnesses:

LANCY N. HOPKINS, O. B. GooDENoW. 

